Children’s play facilities in Exmouth are set for improvements after more than £1m was set aside to be spent on upgrading play parks in the district.

Enhancements to Brixington and Redgates play areas will be made by 2023 after the schemes were added into East Devon District Council’s capital programme.

Both are set to benefit from £100,000 improvements while the skate park in Budleigh Salterton is also earmarked for a £150,000 overhaul.

In total, 24 projects were unanimously agreed to be added at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday (January 2) night. The funding for the schemes total more than £2.27m, although not all of the money comes from East Devon council coffers.

The projects also include improvements to car parks across the region, providing a summer camper van parking facility in Exmouth, coastal defence improvements, as well an upgrade of the IT system that councillors use.

No date for when the work on the projects will be completed has been decided.

At the cabinet meeting, Cllr Philip Skinner, deputy leader of the council, said it was wonderful news that more than £1m of discretionary funding was to be spent on improving playparks in the region, and that figure didn’t include the £150,000 spent last year on the Phear Park skatepark.

Cllr Geoff Pook added: “Over £1m of money is being put into play parks so we are doing a lot for our residents, so let us celebrate what we are doing.”

The report to the cabinet said that when replacing play equipment, the option to enhance or improve the equipment, rather than replace it ‘like-for-like’, should be taken.

It said: “The enhanced option concurred with the council’s adopted plans, including green spaces, which advocated enhanced facilities. Evidence from schemes such as the play equipment on Queen’s Drive showed that there was a demand for more enhanced play areas as a more attractive option to the traditional schemes.”

The cabinet also agreed to defer the resurfacing of the Phear Park access road, at a cost of £99,000, from 2019/20 to 2020/21.

Repainting of the Greenway Lane footbridge in Budleigh Salterton has also been deferred in order for the council to evaluate if it is more effective to replace or repair the bridge.